PowerHouse Texas

"We need to let our resources do what they do best - develop" - Chairman Darby, Energy Resources Committee Energy is the biggest deal right now. There’s so much happening globally in energy policy, regulation, governance, and technology, and I’m so grateful to be right where all the action is, at The Texas Capitol. I'm working alongside Chairman Drew Darby and the Energy Resources Committee for the 89th Legislative Session in Texas. Our first organizational hearing saw lawmakers, executive, and industry come together for testimonies from state agencies, oil & gas leaders, and alternative energy sectors, including geothermal, hydrogen, solar, and storage! So much to learn, so many questions to explore.. Thank you PowerHouse Texas, for this incredible opportunity. Can’t wait to see what’s next! Here's a link to the hearing: https://lnkd.in/gmx92H9A #TexasLegislature #EnergyPolicy #RenewableEnergy #OilAndGas #EnergyTransition #Geothermal #Hydrogen #Solar

We were so proud to see our 2025 Energy Policy Fellow Shipra Mishra clerking for the House Energy Resources Committee hearing yesterday! Shipra is serving in Chairman Drew Darby's office this session! #txlege #txenergy

"Thoughtful bills, such as Senate Bill 6 by Senators Phil King and Charles Schwertner, have been and will be filed at the Texas Capitol this year recognizing that the state needs to rethink how it plans, pays for and ultimately builds #transmission. These discussions must acknowledge that transmission, like roads and water, is the backbone of the Texas economy... The transmission system is for energy what the highway system is for cars. Big power lines crisscross the state, delivering electricity from the plants that generate it to the customers who use it. When growth forces more Texans to rely on the same lines, those lines get congested. Congestion creates big problems when demand rises, especially in response to severe heat or cold weather. This crowding costs Texans $2 billion per year in charges." Check out the full op-ed below by Bryn Baker, senior director of policy and markets at the Texas Energy Buyers Alliance, which represents employers and large electricity buyers across the state. And check out the recording of our Energy Innovation Forum on "Connecting Texas: How to Build More Transmission & Reduce Consumer Costs" here: https://lnkd.in/gzk8mWMh https://lnkd.in/gG-sh3AX

A big thank you again to Dylan Baddour for moderating our Nuclear Energy Innovation Forum earlier this month and for including that important conversation in his article for The Texas Tribune! “A company and school no one has heard of has gotten to the forefront of advanced #nuclear,” said [our Energy Policy Advisory Council Member] Dr. Rusty Towell, a nuclear physicist at Abilene Christian University and lead developer of Natura’s reactor. “This is going to bless the world.” “We need energy in Texas, we need a lot of it and we need it fast,” said state Sen. Charles Perry, chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. “The companies that are coming here are going to need a different type of energy long term.” “If we do what we’re asked to do from industry groups out here, if we do what we think we should do and we know we should do, we could actually put a stake in the ground that Texas is the proving ground for these energies,” Perry said, speaking this month in the state Capitol at a nuclear power forum hosted by PowerHouse Texas, a nonprofit that promotes energy innovation. “When I talk to folks, it always gets back to the funding,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, during the PowerHouse forum. “All of those issues are somewhat ancillary to: How are we going to fund this?” Gleeson said developers will expect the state to put up at least $100 million per project through public-private partnerships in order to help reduce financial risk. “Given the load growth in this state that we’re projecting, if you want clean air and you want a reliable grid, you have to be in favor of nuclear,” he said. You can watch a full recording of our Advanced Nuclear Energy Innovation Forum here: https://lnkd.in/g6GQyzKw https://lnkd.in/ehe5x2DS

#ICYMI Our Energy Policy Advisory Council Member Dr. Joshua Rhodes, PhD co-authored this new report on the "Economic Impacts of Texas Small Modular Reactor Industry Development, 2024-2055" along with Dr. Michael E. Webber and the Webber Energy Group for the Public Utility Commission of Texas. On average, over the next 26 years there could be: ? An annual average of 148,000 people employed directly and indirectly by the new SMR industry (construction, operations, manufacturing). ? $50.6 billion in new economic output in Texas. ? $27.3 billion in income to Texas workers. You can also check out the full recording of the Energy Innovation Forum we held earlier this month on "Developing Advanced #Nuclear Technologies for Texas" here: https://lnkd.in/g6GQyzKw

We are so honored to welcome three distinguished leaders to our Board of Directors: ??Pat Wood, III III,?CEO of Hunt Energy Network & past Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) & of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) ??Micalah Spenrath,?Deputy Director of Policy & Energy at HARC | Houston Advanced Research Center ??Raina Tillman Hornaday,?General Manager & Co-Founder of Caprock Renewables Each one of them brings remarkable expertise and a shared commitment to advancing our mission of educating and cultivating energy policy leaders, fostering bipartisan collaboration, and informing evidence-based policy change for Texas’ biggest energy and environmental challenges.? ? Their unique perspectives and leadership will be invaluable as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead, and we look forward to the exciting work we’ll accomplish together!

We're excited to share the highlight reel from our recent Energy Innovation Forum on Developing Advanced #Nuclear Technologies for Texas! https://lnkd.in/gcvXE3tt Another thank you to our incredible speakers and moderator: ??Senator Charles Perry, District 28 ??Thomas Gleeson, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas ??Dr. Rusty Towell, Founding Director of the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab, Abilene Christian University ??Matt MacVicar, Vice President, Government Affairs, Rolls-Royce SMR ??Jennifer Dunn, Senior Energy Policy Advisor, British Embassy, Washington ??Dylan Baddour, Energy & Climate Journalist, Inside Climate News And thank you again to our sponsor Rolls-Royce SMR! You can find a full recording of the forum here: https://lnkd.in/g6GQyzKw

A big thank you again to all of our incredible speakers for making our recent Energy Innovation Forum on Developing Advanced #Nuclear Technologies for Texas such a success! ??State Senator Charles Perry, District 28 ??Thomas Gleeson, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas ??Dr. Rusty Towell, Founding Director of the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab,?Abilene Christian University ??Matt MacVicar, Vice President, Government Affairs, Rolls-Royce SMR ??Jennifer Dunn, Senior Energy Policy Advisor, British Embassy, Washington Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and thank you again to our sponsor Rolls-Royce SMR! ? You can find a full recording here: https://lnkd.in/g6GQyzKw And a summary of key takeaways and policy recommendations from the forum attached.

In his State of the State speech last week, Governor Abbott said that Texas “needs an increasing supply of electric power.” But anti-energy bills and other attacks on renewables give Texas less electric power, not more. #txlege #txenergy?https://lnkd.in/guXJA_sN

Join our Energy Innovation Forum tomorrow - Tues., Feb. 11th - to hear about the exciting updates on Abilene Christian University's #Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Laboratory, which is building the nation's first university-based molten salt research reactor, from NEXT Lab Director Dr. Rusty Towell in conversation with Senator Charles Perry, Public Utility Commission of Texas Chairman Thomas Gleeson and more! Building on momentum from advanced nuclear technology and regulatory recommendations, this forum convenes experts to explore how policy, workforce development, and cutting-edge innovation can drive nuclear energy’s role in Texas’ energy transition. Register here: https://lnkd.in/g3Z_b9Tu